This article argues that Notre Dame needs someone who’s as great a politician as he is a head coach. It’s clear the Irish need something:

… The Irish have yet to win a single BCS game since its inception, they haven’t lost fewer than three games since the 1993 season, and they’ve cycled through five different coaches since Holtz, if you include the one who fudged his résumé and never coached a single game. They never connected with Bob Davie, they lost patience with Tyrone Willingham after three seasons, and they grew tired of Charlie Weis’s self-involved bluster after five mediocre campaigns.

And now they are starting to wonder about Brian Kelly, an Irish Catholic boy from Boston who arrived with high hopes. But after a pair of rickety 8-5 seasons, Kelly has yet to cultivate the kind of belief that Parseghian did in his first few months…

Yeah, that’s some résumé. Yet Notre Dame football remains relevant on a national level, as witnessed by its role in the post-BCS discussion. Maybe wanting to believe is a belief in and of itself.

I had forgotten Weiss was allowed to stay there for 5 seasons. He was such an obvious failure early, the tolerance of him for that long shows the desperation of the ND fans. Along with tosu, ND’s fanbase is among the most delusional (we all have them, but the vast majority of ND fans are over the top.) They haven’t been relevant for decades, and the media needs to reflect that. They must continue to keep the schedule soft to get bowl invitations; the BCS should drop the “special clause” for this floundering program.

Right on Mac. It’s ridiculous that they got a special provision in the BCS, as if the BCS wouldn’t have been legitimate without Notre Dame. I hope there is no such concession in this new round of negotiations and that ND gets shut out of the deal (and the $$$) unless they join a power conference like everyone else. I would love to see the $#!+ eating grin on Delaney’s face when Notre Dame, who spurned his advances so many times, starts groveling to try to get a spot in the B1G.

That would be delicious…..and it is exactly what would happen. In the nineties it may have been necessary to cut them a slice of pie, although I didn’t like it then, but in the current reality they have no leverage and should not be catered to. I respect ND’s role in CFB history, even if over-stated, but their arrogance has angered many fans. Payback time.

Unfortunately, the media and ESPN keep them relevant because their viewership is large. They canonize them each season and kowtow to their fanbase. While we are incensed by their hanging on ND’s “Rudy” crapola, ESPN still draws on the schmaltz to keep them in the dealings.

You are correct. Over 20yrs of undeserved attention, parahonor on the gridiron, and undeserved coach praise should be enough in this new age of “Fuck the history; where’s the big money?” to deal them out if they don’t want to compete in a conference.

Tried for humor last week when I suggested that we should ask ND to join the SEC, knowing full well that they wouldn’t dare. I just wanted us to do it to piss Delany off.

Saban would not be any where near as successful at ND. They would not allow him to have all of the “competitive advantages” that he has at AL. Saban was just as good of a coach and recruiter when he was at Michigan State and the Dolphins. He doesn’t have to suspend players, they don’t have to pass classes, he can manage his roster as he sees fit without issue, and unitl this past year has essentially been able to sign and pay for whoever he wanted.

In five or so years, Corch will have some anus spasms and take a break for a year or so and then go there and coach em up for five or so years of mediocrity, his real dream job. This of course will be after three Big Ten titles and one BCS title game at OSU, which he loses.